This is not good.
end the insanity NOW!
Posted on 02/24/2024 5:59:01 AM PST by SpeedyInTexas
Your post was AI generated.
The very least you can do is reference it.
I swiped the entire first sentence of you post, and this is what AI gave me:
Look familiar?
PS: Heroes isn't spelled Heros
Georgy Zhukov was forced into retirement in November 1957 after a power struggle with Nikita Khrushchev, who accused him of "Bonapartism," political adventurism, and undermining the Communist Party's control over the military, particularly during a period when Zhukov was abroad.
Despite his earlier support for Khrushchev in removing the "Anti-Party Group" in 1957, Khrushchev viewed Zhukov’s immense popularity and military influence as a threat, leading to his abrupt dismissal as Defense Minister and removal from all party and military positions.
After Khrushchev’s ouster in 1964, Zhukov’s reputation began to be rehabilitated; he was publicly acknowledged as a military genius and participated in the 1965 Victory Day celebrations, marking his symbolic return to public life. During his final years, Zhukov focused on writing his memoirs, which were published in 1969 after extensive censorship, and he died on June 18, 1974, following another stroke.
AI-generated answer. Please verify critical facts.
A complete Numbskull
Jon - Like zeepers, AI can generate complete fiction.
Ask dimwit.
“ I swiped the entire first sentence of you post, and this is what AI gave me:
Ps It is your not you
Usual talking about references is 😂
Merkle, the East German communist youth committee member, that merkle?😂
Seems 300 and 400 are practically worthless in the era of drones, better to send them to protect pitin’s palaces😎
Apologies for not including source, but the facts about Zhukov are factual, the point of the information though is how his fate is the same for many others in the Soviet Union and now pitin’s Russia. Get too successful, get too popular and you are banished to the sticks or fall out a window.
Did she change her name?
dimwit corrected you, before I had to correct the Buffoon also.
pointless - he just a sim card in some bin on a shelf of a cabinet in a room filled with similar cabinets and shelves.
This is not good.
end the insanity NOW!
Partisans!
“There will be more to come”
Kyiv independent (36 oct):
“Russia faces an increase in the arson and “spontaneous combustion” of electrical panels, railway relay cabinets, and other infrastructure helping Moscow wage its war against Ukraine over the past week, a source at Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) said on Oct. 26.
The HUR source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that electrical panels, railway relay cabinets, and communication towers burned in multiple cities across Russia, including Moscow...
...HUR’s claim comes as Russian regional and national media, controlled by the Kremlin, have reported several incidents in October involving civilians, including minors, being detained for burning railway relay cabinets and a telecom cabinet...
...Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there have been local sabotage movements in Russia and the occupied territories, including a campaign of railway sabotage, but their impact is difficult to measure...
... The agency, citing representatives of the resistance movement, said “there will be more to come.”
China prepared to start stockpiling crude oil as soon as President Trump was inaugurated, and has been socking away a million barrels per day, since Trump’s big deal was struck with Middle East Producers, keeping oil prices higher than they would have been.
No doubt that Chinese Intelligence got wind of that deal, and what it would mean for their supply from Russia (and possibly Iran). They have prepared significantly, increasing their Strategic Reserve of oil. Betting with their own money.
OilPrice.com (Oct 21, 2025):
China’s Crude Oil Stockpiling Baffles Markets
“- Since March, China has been adding close to 1 million barrels per day to its reserves.
- A new Energy Law mandates private firms to hold more crude, boosting national energy security.
- With storage facilities about 60% full, expansion is slowing until new capacity comes online in 2026.
China crude
China has significantly increased crude stockpiling this year. The crude import volumes going into the world’s biggest importer have held relatively strong despite lukewarm demand and an imminent peak in demand for road transportation fuels.
China’s crude stockpiling has supported international oil prices into the $60-$70 a barrel range, despite trade wars, concerns about the economy, and soaring supply from both OPEC+ and non-OPEC+ exporters.
But supporting oil prices has hardly been China’s motive to amass crude in storage tanks...
...After a slow start to the year, China began boosting its crude oil imports in March-April and has kept elevated import levels since then. The key driver has been crude stockpiling, not a major rebound in demand, according to analysts.
Higher Chinese purchases have helped support oil prices despite the OPEC+ production hikes and persistent concerns about the growth rate of global oil demand...
...From March onwards, “we started to see a very impressive rate of stockpiling, like close to one million barrels per day”...
...China will continue amassing crude oil in strategic and commercial reserves well into 2026...
...China’s substantial stockpiling this year has been underpinned by a new Energy Law, enacted in January 2025, aimed at improving its energy security, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said last week.
“With limited storage capacity available in the country’s strategic petroleum reserves (SPR), oil companies are now mandated to increase oil stocks at their own commercial storage facilities, effectively positioning the private firms as long-term strategic storage partners for the government,” Toril Bosoni, Head of Oil Industry and Markets Division at the IEA, wrote in a commentary on the global oil overhang.
China has room for more stock building and is also expanding its crude storage capacity, expecting to build 11 new storage sites over the next two years.
Analysts have pointed to several factors driving increased Chinese stockpiling.
Earlier this year, the slump in oil prices and high uncertainty over trade, geopolitics, and the trade clash with the United States prompted China to accelerate storage filling...
China has also been amassing crude from the sanctioned exporters Russia and Iran. That crude is cheaper as it is being offered at discounts to the few willing buyers...
...Cheaper crude and lower oil prices compared to last year’s levels have been economic incentives for China to increase stock builds.
Energy security has also been at the top of the list of reasons why China is interested in boosting crude in storage.
In recent months, other theories about China’s stock build have emerged...
...One of two more outlandish theories, according to Mills, is that China is preparing to withstand some sort of conflict and an oil embargo or halted supplies via the key routes from the Middle East to Asia.
Then there is the theory that China could be preparing for an imminent invasion of Taiwan...
...For China’s stockpiles, the growth appears to have plateaued, Vortexa’s Emma Li said in an analysis last month.
Much of the headline growth in China’s crude oil imports has come from stockpiling rather than real consumption...
...However, builds at state-owned refiners appeared to have plateaued in the third quarter, while inventories at Shandong, the home to the independent “teapot” refiners, continue to rise with steady flows from Iran, data from Vortexa showed.
Until new storage in China becomes available next year, the room for stock builds could be limited.
“In short: China’s crude stockpile growth looks set to plateau, leaving imports more closely tied to underlying demand trends rather than storage plays in the months ahead,” Li said.”
Moscow under air attack again tonight. Moscow’s airports shut down again.
Kyiv Independent (27 Oct):
“Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin began reporting attacks on the Russian capital on the evening of Oct. 26. As of publication time, Russian forces have reportedly shot down 19 Ukrainian drones flying toward Moscow…
…Moscow’s Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports have temporarily suspended operations in response to the drone threat.
Explosions have been reported in multiple parts of the city and the surrounding region, including the Kommunarka district, according to Russian Telegram channels… A fire broke out at on oil depot in Serpukhov, Moscow Oblast”
Looks like you are the usuals new target
They are intellectual non-entities. Devoid of value or interest.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Chief of the General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov continue to make exaggerated claims of battlefield victories while demonstrating that the Kremlin remains committed to seizing the entirety of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson oblasts. Putin held a meeting on October 26 with Gerasimov and the commanders of the Russian groupings of forces.[1] Putin notably wore a military uniform for the meeting, only the third time he has worn a uniform to a public event since the start of the full-scale invasion, and only a few weeks after the second time he did so on September 16.[2] Gerasimov opened his report to Putin by stating that Russian forces continue to carry out tasks to seize Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson oblasts. Gerasimov’s statement reiterates Putin's longstanding demand that Ukraine hand over the entirety of the four illegally annexed regions to Russia while undermining recent Russian offers to exchange territory in southern Ukraine for full control over Donetsk Oblast.[3] Gerasimov claimed – very likely falsely – that Russian forces have surrounded up to 5,500 Ukrainian troops in the Pokrovsk direction and blocked a group of 31 Ukrainian battalions near Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad (east of Pokrovsk). Gerasimov claimed that elements of the Russian 2nd Combined Arms Army (CAA, Central Military District [CMD]) and 51st CAA (formerly 1st Donetsk People's Republic Army Corps [DNR AC], Southern Military District [SMD]) are advancing along converging axes and have completed the encirclement of Ukrainian forces in the area. Gerasimov claimed that Russia's efforts to isolate the combat zone to disrupt Ukrainian supplies facilitated the alleged encirclement, a reference to Russian efforts in recent months to use adaptations to drone tactics and technology to conduct strikes against Ukrainian ground lines of communication (GLOCs).[4] Gerasimov claimed that Russian authorities have tasked the Central Grouping of Forces with destroying the allegedly encircled Ukrainian forces near Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad.
Gerasimov similarly claimed that the Russian Western Grouping of Forces have encircled Kupyansk after assault detachments of the 68th Motorized Rifle Division (6th CAA, Leningrad Military District [LMD]) conducted a flanking maneuver, seized crossings over the Oskil River south of Kupyansk, and worked with elements of the 47th Tank Division and 27th Motorized Rifle Brigade (both of the 1st Guards Tank Army [GTA], Moscow Military District [MMD]) to block Ukrainian forces on the east (left) bank of the Oskil River east of Kupyansk.[5] Gerasimov claimed that Russian forces have encircled a total of 18 Ukrainian battalions in Kupyansk. Putin similarly falsely claimed in October 2024 that Russian forces encircled 2,000 Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast and later claimed in March 2025 that Russian forces had “isolated” Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast and that it was “impossible” for small groups of Ukrainian forces to withdraw from positions in Kursk Oblast.[6] Russian forces did not encircle significant numbers of Ukrainian forces during the Russian operations to retake Kursk Oblast in late 2024 and early 2025, despite Putin's claims.
Gerasimov also claimed that Russian forces have advanced in southern Vovchansk (northeast of Kharkiv City) and seized over 70 percent of the town.[7] Gerasimov claimed that Russian forces are completing the seizure of Yampil (southeast of Lyman) and have seized Dronivka (northwest of Siversk) and Pleshchiivka (southeast of Kostyantynivka). Gerasimov claimed that Russian forces continue urban combat in Siversk and Kostyantynivka.
Russian milbloggers widely denied Gerasimov’s claims. Several milbloggers claimed that Gerasimov was lying and that Russian forces had not encircled Ukrainian forces in Kupyansk and Pokrovsk.[8] One milblogger stated that there is still a multi-kilometer corridor between Russian groups operating west and north of Pokrovsk, and another noted that Russian fire control over Ukrainian GLOCs does not mean that Russian forces have encircled Ukrainian forces in the area.[9] Milbloggers pointed to the porous nature of the front, highlighting the way Russian forces are infiltrating into Ukrainian flanks and rear.[10] One milblogger noted that Ukrainian forces often maintain positions in settlements that Russian sources claim that Russian forces have seized and stated that Pokrovsk and Kupyansk are “100 percent chaos.”[11] Another milblogger assessed that Gerasimov is “getting ahead of himself again” and expects reality on the ground to “soon catch up with his reports.”[12] The milblogger assessed that Gerasimov’s report aims to provoke US President Donald Trump to “request mercy” for the encircled Ukrainian forces and to give Trump the impression of serious Ukrainian problems on the front, as the milblogger assessed Putin's claims about encircled Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast in March 2025 aimed to do. Gerasimov similarly presented exaggerated territorial claims in late August 2025, including about Kupyansk, that Russian milbloggers heavily criticized.[13]
ISW has not observed evidence to support Gerasimov’s claims. ISW has only observed evidence to assess that Russian forces have seized roughly 23 percent of Vovchansk. ISW has only observed footage from October 24 showing limited Russian forces operating in eastern Kostyantynivka after a likely infiltration mission and has not observed evidence of Russian forces operating within Siversk.[14] The Kremlin is also portraying the seizures of small settlements that are not operationally significant as major successes for informational effects. Dronivka is under six square kilometers in size, and Pleshchiivka is under four square kilometers. Both had a pre-war population of about 600 people.
The Kremlin is exploiting Russia's recent reliance on infiltration missions and the absence of contiguous front lines in some tactical areas, as well as the resulting interspersal of forces to make exaggerated battlefield claims. The Ukrainian General Staff acknowledged on October 26 that the situation near Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad remains difficult and noted Russia's use of infiltration missions into Pokrovsk.[15] The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces quantitatively outnumber Ukrainian forces in the area and have increased their offensive efforts. The Ukrainian General Staff stated that Russian forces are conducting small group infiltration missions between Ukrainian positions. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that about 200 Russian troops are operating within Pokrovsk, but that Ukrainian counter-sabotage missions are preventing Russian forces from advancing deeper into the town and gaining a foothold. ISW continues to assess that Russian forces are making gains near and within Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad that are tactically significant but likely do not portend the imminent collapse of Ukrainian defenses in the area.[16] Ukrainian and Russian sources have noted how both sides’ positions are intermingled, making it difficult, if not impossible, to determine the exact contours of the frontline.[17] Russian forces have been increasingly leveraging infiltrations between Ukrainian positions to make false claims of advances and consolidated gains.[18] Putin's and Gerasimov’s claims of battlefield victories are part of the ongoing Kremlin cognitive warfare effort to falsely portray a Russian victory as inevitable, such that Ukraine and the West should concede to Russia's demands now.[19]
Putin attempted to justify Russia's slow pace of advance because of Russian concern for civilian safety and casualties. Putin falsely claimed that Russian forces will not be working toward any specific deadlines but will put the safety of Russian servicemembers first, setting conditions to justify continued slow Russian advances in the future.[20] Putin asked Russian forces to ensure Ukrainian forces can safely surrender and claimed that Russian forces have “historically always treated defeated enemies with mercy.” Putin called for Russian forces to ensure the safety of the civilian population when clearing territories. ISW has observed ample evidence of Russia's blatant disregard for civilian safety and deliberate murders of Ukrainian civilians, including prolific first-person view (FPV) drone strikes against civilians in Kherson Oblast since late 2023 and recent murders of civilians in Pokrovsk and Zvanivka, Bakhmutsky Raion.[21] ISW has also observed repeated reports of Russia executing surrendering Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs).[22] ISW continues to assess that Russian battlefield commanders are fully complicit in and explicitly order extreme atrocities, including summary executions.[23]
Russia continues to issue explicit nuclear threats as part of a multi-pronged effort seeking to deter continued US pressure on Russia and support for Ukraine. Putin recalled on October 26 the recent annual recurring Russian Grom exercises with all three components of Russia's strategic nuclear triad.[24] Putin emphasized the “reliability of Russia's nuclear shield” and claimed that Russia's nuclear deterrent forces “exceed” the abilities of all other nuclear states. Putin claimed that Russia's nuclear strategic forces are capable of “fully ensuring” the national security of Russia and the Union State (the political union between Belarus and Russia that a Kremlin-dominated federated government rules as a single polity). Putin and Gerasimov also discussed a test of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, which Putin claimed has an “unlimited” range and which Gerasimov claimed has “guaranteed accuracy against highly protected targets at any distance.” Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) CEO and key Kremlin negotiator Kirill Dmitriev claimed that he relayed information about the Burevestnik tests to US officials.[25] Putin's and Gerasimov’s claims are only the latest in Russia's ongoing nuclear saber-rattling campaign, and Dmitriev notably issued oblique nuclear threats during his various interviews with US media outlets on October 24 and 25.[26] Putin and Gerasimov highlighted the missile's alleged technical capabilities, likely to amplify these nuclear saber-rattling efforts. Russia has been trying to use a combination of carrots and sticks unrelated to the war in Ukraine, such as bilateral arms control talks, to push the United States to give in to concessions about the war.[27]
Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) CEO and key Kremlin negotiator Kirill Dmitriev stated outright that Russia has not deviated from its 2021-2022 original war aims and that Russia continues to seek control of all of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson oblasts. Dmitriev claimed in Russian on his channels on Telegram and the Kremlin-controlled messaging platform MAX on October 26 that any peace settlement must address the alleged “root causes” of the war in Ukraine, which Russian officials have repeatedly defined as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) eastward expansion and Ukraine's alleged discrimination against Russian speakers.[28] Dmitriev also claimed that the Russian economy is in good condition with low debt and a strong ruble. Dmitriev also directly referenced Russian President Vladimir Putin's June 2024 speech to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), in which Putin demanded that Ukrainian forces must “completely withdraw” from Ukrainian-controlled territory in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson oblasts and that Ukraine must abandon its goal to join NATO before Russia can agree to a ceasefire and peace negotiations.[29] Dmitriev’s reiteration of Putin's 2024 demands underscores Russia's unchanged position and unwillingness to compromise on its maximalist demands. Dmitriev’s statement also indicates that Russia's recent offers to cede parts of southern Ukraine in exchange for all of Donetsk Oblast are disingenuous proposals.[30] Dmitriev notably avoided directly discussing Russia's uncompromising position during his recent statements to US media outlets.[31] Dmitriev’s rhetoric continues to show the marked difference in Kremlin narratives meant for Russian domestic audiences and those meant for American audiences. The Kremlin continues to prime Russian audiences to support a protracted war to achieve all of Russia's original demands.
The Russian economy is showing its first signs of stagnation manufacturing sectors critical to the Russian defense industrial base. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated on October 26 that US sanctions are already affecting the Russian economy, as India and many Chinese refineries have stopped purchasing Russian oil.[32] Bessent noted that the Russian economy is in a wartime state with virtually no growth and that Russia has an inflation rate of over 20 percent, in stark contrast to the Russian Central Bank's official statistics claiming that Russia's annual inflation rate is 8.2 percent as of October 20.[33] Kremlin officials’ continual false portrayal of the Russian inflation rate is part of efforts to claim that neither the war in Ukraine nor Western sanctions are hurting the Russian economy.[34] Bessent stated that Russian oil profits are down 20 percent year-on-year and that US sanctions could reduce Russian profits by an additional 20 to 30 percent.[35] Russia's oil and gas revenues accounted for roughly 30 percent of Russia's total federal revenues in 2024 and are critical to Russia's ability to fund its war in Ukraine.[36] Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov recently acknowledged that Russian authorities expect the share of Russia's revenues from oil and gas sales funding the Russian federal budget to fall roughly by 30 percent in 2026.[37]
Independent Russian outlet The Moscow Times reported on October 25 that Russian Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) data indicate that Russia's defense industrial base (DIB) showed signs of stalling in September 2025 for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.[38] Rosstat data shows that fabricated metal production, which surged in 2023 and 2024 and grew 21.2 percent in August 2025, dropped 1.6 percent year on year in September 2025. Transport equipment output growth, which includes tanks and armored vehicles, reportedly slowed to six percent in September 2025, down from 61.2 percent in August 2025.[39] The Moscow Times reported that Russia's machine building sector, which is heavily dependent on state defense orders, similarly fell by 0.1 percent in September 2025 after surging 15.7 percent in August 2025. The Russian Central Bank notably lowered its key interest rate on October 24, likely to increase capital available for the Russian DIB and reverse recent stagnation.[40] Russian President Vladimir Putin has intentionally designed Russia's wartime economy to rely on military spending by investing trillions of rubles in Russia's DIB. The Russian DIB accounts for a significant portion of overall Russian domestic production and has largely propped up the Russian industrial sector and broader Russian economy. The Rosstat data, which ISW cannot independently verify, if true, indicates significant signs of deeper economic fracturing amidst ever growing sanctions and continued unsustainable wartime spending.
Russian regional authorities continue reducing one-time recruitment payments, supporting ISW’s forecast that Russia may begin compulsory recruitment of reservists in the face of mounting economic strain. Russian budgetary constraints appear to be permeating throughout several sectors of Russia's wartime spending. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's northwestern Russia service Sever Realii reported on October 26 that regional Russian authorities have been quietly reducing one-time payments to Russians signing contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) over the last several months, including in Nizhny Novgorod and Ulyanovsk oblasts; Tatarstan, Mari El, Bashkortostan, and Chuvashia republics, and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.[41] Sever Realii noted that authorities in some regions cut one-time payments by over two million rubles (roughly $25,000) due to budgetary constraints. ISW has repeatedly assessed that Russia would not be able to sustain increasingly high payments to recruits in the long term, and the decision to substantially decrease one-time regional payments confirms Russia's inability to fund expensive recruitment efforts.[42] Regional governments’ decisions to curtail recruitment incentives are a supporting indicator for ISW’s forecast that Russia may begin compulsory recruitment of reservists.[43] ISW assesses that ongoing Western sanctions against Russian oil and gas exports and unsustainably high payments to soldiers are further destabilizing the Russian economy, regardless of Kremlin claims of economic stability.
Russian forces continue to launch long-range glide bomb strikes against Ukrainian cities. A Russian milblogger claimed on October 25 that elements of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) launched a glide bomb strike against Kamyanske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast (northwest of Zaporizhzhia City along the right [west] bank of the Dnipro River) from a distance of roughly 150 kilometers.[44] Kryvyi Rih Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul reported on October 26 that Russian forces conducted a guided glide bomb strike against Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.[45] ISW has recently observed reports of Russian forces conducting long-range strikes with modified glide bombs against Ukrainian cities.[46] Russian forces are likely operating their aircraft farther from the frontline and beyond the range of Ukrainian air defense systems, exploiting Ukraine's scarcity of air defense systems.
European officials have continued to report on Russian hybrid operations in Europe over the past several years. British news outlet Sky News reported on October 24 that a British court sentenced several members of a gang who participated in an arson attack on a British warehouse providing aid to Ukraine.[47] Sky News reported that the Wagner Group private military company (PMC) recruited the arsonists and that the gang planned the attack on industrial units in East London in March 2024. The arson attack reportedly inflicted damage worth around one million pounds (roughly $1.3 million). Several German outlets reported on October 25 that Russia's Directorate for Deep-Sea Research (GUGI) installed technical equipment on the wreckage of the Estonia ferry, which sank in the Baltic Sea in 1994, “a few years ago.”[48] The technical equipment reportedly allowed Russian robots and drones to navigate underwater with high precision. The outlets reported that NATO countries have information about the Russian operations and that Western security sources think that Russian military units have repeatedly trained in diving, salvage, and underwater operations in prohibited areas near the wreckage. Russia may have installed sensors to monitor ship and submarine movements or to record propeller noises and other characteristics of NATO warships and submarines. Russia has been setting conditions to confront the West for several years, and Russian sabotage and intelligence activities from years past likely support Russia's effort to prepare for a possible NATO-Russia war. ISW assesses that Russia‘s intensified “Phase Zero,” Russia's broader informational and psychological condition-setting phase to prepare for a possible NATO-Russia war, began in early September 2025.
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